Mounting device for window ventilating fans



March 27, 1951 M. H. FULLER MOUNTING DEVICE FOR WINDOW VENTILATING FANSFiled Feb. 12, 1948 2 Sheets-Shet 1 IN VEN TOR. MARTIN Hanan/A20 FULLERATTORNEY.

March 27, 1951 FULLER 2,545;"$4*

MOUNTING DEVICE FOR WINDOW VENTILATING FANS Filed Feb. 12, 1948 2Sheets-Sheet ,2

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Patented Mar. 27, 1951 MOUNTING DEVICE FOR WINDOW VENTILATING FANSMartin Hereward Fuller, Indianapolis, 11111., assignor to ClimaxMachinery Company, Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of IndianaApplication February 12, 1948, Serial No. 7,775

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to a mounting device for windowventilating fans, and is primarily concerned with an improvement in themeans for securing a ventilating fan unit in place in a window opening.The primary object of the invention is to provide a substitute for theintegral earsheretofore provided in devices of the class underconsideration, thereby facilitating the mounting of fans or the like inwindow openings, and overcoming what has come to be a serious diflicultyin the art to which the invention pertains.

Further objects of the the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention maybe embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings,attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings areillustrative only, and that change may be made in thespecifioconstruction illustrated and described, so long as the scope ofthe appended claims is not violated.

Fig. 1 is an elevational view or" a fan housing mounted in a windowopening;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental perspective showing my novel mountingdevice in use;

Fig. 3 is a fragmental perspective showing a corner of a mounting frameand my bracket, which forms a part of the invention, before as sembly;and

Fig. 4 is a broken. perspective view similar to Fig. 2, but showing theopposite side of my mounting device.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that I haveillustrated a portion of a standard window frame 6 having a sash is1idably mounted therein. I have illustrated also a ventilating fan unitincluding a frame 8 and a cage 9 received in the window frame betweenthe sill and the sash l. The frame 3 comprises telescopically associatedelements lil and l l which are laterally adjustable to fit the lateralelements of the window frame 6. The frame element It comprises a bodysheet It, a top flange I2, a bottom flange l3, and a side flange l4,said flanges being turned out of the plane of the body sheet so thatthey lie in planes perpendicular to the plane of the body sheet, theflanges i2 and is lying in parallel planesand the flange l4 lying in aplane substantially perpendicular to the planes of the flanges l2 andI3.

Similarly, the frame element I! comprises a body sheet l8, a top flange15, a bottom flange l6, and side flanges I"! and i1, similarly relatedto the body sheet l8 and to each other.

invention will appear as 2 According to standard practice prior to myinvention, the flanges l4 and I! have been formed to provide integralears projecting substantially above the planes of the flanges i2 and 15,re-

spectively, said ears being perforated to receive fastening screwsengageable in the lateral elements of the window frame 3. Theseprojecting ears have posed a packing problem, in connection withshipment of units like the unit 8, to

protect such ears against distortion and breakage; and additionally, ithas been found that those cars are frequently bent or broken duringhandling in or delivery by retail stores, or in handling by thepurchaser. Once such an ear has been bent, it has been found that theaverage householder is unable to return it accurately into the plane ofthe flange of which it is an extension; and, of course, once such an carhas been broken, it is substantially impossible to repair the unitwithout substituting a completely new mounting frame.

According to the present invention, I dispense with such ears. As isclearly to be seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the inner surface of the flange lllies substantially flush with the adjacent end IQ of the flange i5; andthe upper end 29 of the flange I lies substantially in the plane of theupper surface of the flange 1%. Near its end is, the flange I5 is formedwith an opening 2| which, in the preferred embodiment of the invention,is rectangular as shown. A bracket 22, comprising two arms 23 and 24perpendicularly related to each other, is provided, intermediate theends of its arm 23, with a tongue 25, preferably punched from the bodyof the arm 23. The free end 26 of the tongue 25 projects to-, ward theplane of the bracket arm 24, and the tongue is displaced, from the planeof the arm 23, in a direction opposite to the direction of projection ofthe arm 24.

The distance of the root 2! of the tongue 25 from the plane of the arm24 is so related to the distance of the adjacent end 28 of the opening2| from the end IQ of the flange l5 that, when the tongue 26 is engagedin the opening 2! and the bracket 22 is shifted as far as possibletoward the end 19 of the flange i5, th racket arm 24 will be disposedsubstantially-fin the plane of the flange ll, while the arm 23 will beretained in planar engagement with the upper surface of the flange i5.

Obviously, the flange I2 of the frame element It) will be formed with anopening similar to the opening 2| and similarly related to the flange M,for the reception of the tongue of another bracket 22 oppositelyarranged.

It will be clear that the unit 8 will be shipped with the brackets 22disassembled from the flanges l2 and i5, so that there are no projectingelements analogous to the ears of standard practice, as above described.The brackets 22 will be assembled with the flanges l2 and IE only afterthe unit 8 has been suitably positioned in-the Window frame ii. With theflanges it and H in contact with the adjacent elements of the Windowframe a, and preferably with the sash 7 bearing upon the flanges l2 andIt, the bracket 22 will be assembled with said flanges by engaging theirtongues 25 in the openings 2 i, whereby the bracket arms 2; will bebrought into contact with the respective window frame elements. The arm24 of each bracket is provided with a perforation 28 for the passage ofa screw 38 which may be engaged in the Window frame elements to securethe brackets, and consequently the frame elements Ill and H, againstdisplacement relative to the window frame.

Since the brackets 22 are not associated with the frame elements it andI I during shipment of the unit 8, the packing problem above referred todoes not arise; and similarly, there is no probability of damage to saidbrackets during handling in the retail stores. If, as is contemplated,the brackets 22 are associated with the unit 8 after said unit has beenpositioned in the window frame, and are disassembled from the unitbefore the unit is removed from the Window frame, by the householder,there is substantially no possibility of damage to the brackets. Suchdamage may be further guarded against by making the brackets of materialheavier or stiffer than that which is customarily used for the frameelements l8 and If. But even if the brackets are damaged, there remainsthe substantial advantage that nothing except the damaged bracket needbe replaced.

I claim as my invention:

1. A mounting device for a Window ventilating fan comprising a sheetmetal frame including two elements each comprising a body portion andflange portions turned out of the plane of the body portion and lyingrespectively in angularlyrelated planes, one flange portion of eachelement being provided, at a point near the plane of another flangeportion of the same element, with an opening, and a bracket for eachelement, each bracket comprising two arms having the same angularrelation to each other as the said flange portions of such element, onearm of each bracket being provided with a tongue projectin out of theplane of such arm with its free end facing the plane of the otherbracket arm, said tongue being receivable in said flange portion openingto locate said other bracket arm substantially in the plane of saidother flange portion.

2. A mounting device for a window ventilating fan comprising twotelescopically-associated frame elements, each such element comprising abody portion, a top flange portion and a side flange portion, saidflange portions lying respeo tively in planes substantiallyperpendicular to each other and to the plane of said body portion andthe end of each flange portion adjacent the other flange portion lyingsubstantially in the plane of said other flange portion, said top flangeportion of each element being provided, at a point near said side flangeportion, with an opening therein, and a bracket for each element, eachbracket comprising two perpendicularly-related arms, one bracket armbeing provided with a tongue displaced from the plane of said arm in adirection opposite the direction of projection of the other bracket armwith its free end facing the plane of said other bracket arm, saidtongue. being receivable in the top flange opening of one of saidelements with its free end projecting toward the side flange of the sameelement to locate said one bracket arm in planar contact with said topflange and said other bracket arm substantially in the plane of saidside flange to project above said top flange.

MARTIN HEREWARD FULLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,632,537 Brigel June 14, 19271,681,552 Mount et al Aug. 21, 1928 1,838,207 Allen Dec. 29, 19312,052,453 Dollinger Aug. 25, 1936 2,277,738 Wilkinson Mar. 31, 19422,407,858 Whitefield Sept. 17, 1946

